Moslems have 3 most holy places which is called call Haram Al-Shariif or in English (if I didn’t make mistakes) the Venerable Sanctuary. They are Mecca, Medina, and Al-Quds.
The first place is Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Mecca) as the hometown of Islam religion and the focal place of Moslems activity. The meaning of Haram for this place is forbid to do any sin activity, do anything bad to another people, and even kill animals and trees. This place also forbid for unbelievers because they trust with other God and will do tradition and cultures opposite with the order from the God. Allah was make this town haram (forbid for any sin and make it holy place) since the first time human created by Allah. All God’s messengers always protect this place (especially Kaba) from any bad human authorities. The Kaba’s structures and foundation was created thousands years ago before Muhammad era (This was analyzed by non Moslem also). Many kings from unbelievers try to damaging the structures, but always fail. When in some era bad things happened to the Kaba, soon after Allah will developing again the believers especially the inhabitants to rebuilt again the Kaba. The last devastation was the attacking of elephants debasements in 571M leads by Abrahah (I didn’t know what his name in English). All the member of these armies was dead thrown with stone by birds.
The second place is Madinah Al-Munawwarah (Medina) as the second hometown of Islam. Muhammad was lives and stay here as the prophets and the leader of Arab for 10 years. The meaning of Madinah (Medina) actually is City. This place at that time is the business city bigger than Mecca, and also the stopover / transit place for the traders who want to go to Syam area to make a business over there. This town became the holy place for Islam and get title Al-Munawwarah to describe with the visiting of Muhammad, the place get the most bright and lightening by Islam religion and became the most develop on Arab area.
And the third is Al-Quds (Jerusalem) with the main places are Al-Aqsa mosque and Al-Sakhra 
mosque. Al-Quds itself, in 638 came under Muslim control with the Caliph Umar bin Khattab. Soon after, for the community prayers built on that city a mosque called Al-Aqsa. Beside that, there is a rock which Muhammad takes of from that rock to makes a journey to the 7th sky to receive revelation and order about the rules of prays. So, the Moslem also built a mosque and a dome over that rock to honors the place and also as the kibla (direction when Moslem prays) before changes to Kaba (Mecca) direction. The rock also according to Jewish people is the place where Abraham offering Isaac to be sacrifice. At the era of the first Crusades, when Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099 they slaughtered many Muslim and Jewish residents, ruled with great cruelty, and destroy many mosques and synagogues, also the dome over the rock and take over Al-Aqsa mosque as a church. This condition happens until Saladin in 1187 captured the city again for the Muslims and for Jews (they are free to do their ritual religion). The Al-Aqsa mosque re-function again as a mosque, and later, after the Saladin era (I didn’t know the exactly year), the dome over the rock rebuilt and finishing by gold and called Al-Sakhra mosque (perhaps in Ottoman’s era). So, this place is Islam’s third holiest site, after Mecca and Medina.
Please corrects if you find the mistakes here. Thanks.
Tag: Abraham, Al-Mukarramah, Al-Munawwarah, Al-Quds, Al-Sakhra, Al-Shariif, Arab, Caliph, Crusade, Forbid, Haram, Holy, Isaac, Jerusalem, Jewish, Khattab, kibla, Madinah, Makkah, Mecca, Medina, mosque, Muhammad, rock, Sanctuary, Umar, Venerable
